The Loop

A happy Jason Day is back to doing what Jason Day does best

June 15, 2014

PINEHURST, N.C. -- Even following a closing bogey, Jason Day was in good spirits as he met with the gathered media.

"I haven't been asked to come up here once this week," he said. "Let's do this!"

Why the excitement? After an injury-plagued few months, Day is back playing golf. That also means the Aussie is back finishing high on leader boards in major championships.

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"It's kind of out of my head now," Day said of his left thumb injury. "So I'm not really thinking about it."

And why would he? Day's bogey on Pinehurst No. 2's finishing hole was his lone blemish in a final-round 68 that capped a pain-free week and vaulted him into a tie for fourth place. It's the seventh top-10 finish in 15 major starts for the 26-year-old who has quickly developed a reputation for playing his best in golf's four biggest events.

Following a win at the WGC-Match Play in February that took him to No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking, a thumb injury kept him out of competition until he returned at the Masters. After a T-20 -- clearly, he was still hurt -- Day sat out until the Memorial, where he finished T-37 before arriving at Pinehurst.

"To get into the top 10, especially after an injury, [in my] second week back fully is pretty special. I'm pretty pleased with how everything went," Day said.

"It's just good to get those competitive juices flowing again under pressure."